Which Buffet?

[clb79]

I would like to know which buffet you would recommend and why for 2 adults for a late afternoon or early evening sitting?

 

[Sherry E]

Well, I can help you narrow down your choices some.

Not all of the character meals serve lunch or dinner, so if you wanted to have, say, a mid-afternoon buffet lunch, you may be able to get a meal in at Goofy's Kitchen. Technically, Goofy's serves a breakfast and dinner buffet, but the breakfast hours sometimes extend later into the early afternoon and that can be considered brunch. On those busy days at those times of year, they sometimes close at 2 p.m., and then open up again at 5 p.m. or so for the dinner meal. On the regular days, they close a bit earlier than that, and the characters trickle out. The buffet itself at Goofy's - for breakfast, brunch or dinner - IS huge. It is the biggest buffet out of any of the character meals, I think, and has the widest variety. I love it. It has basically been a staple of my DLR trips since the early '90s.

Ariel's Grotto is open all day long, for all 3 meals, but it is an all-Princess meal. So if Princesses are not your thing, you may want to skip it. Only breakfast, though, is served "family style." Not really a buffet. Lunch and dinner are menu orders and there is no real buffet.

Storytellers Cafe Critter breakfast at the GCH buffet is just that - a breakfast buffet. However, during this time of year, when it is busy, Storytellers has a non-character buffet on weekends for dinner. It is fairly small, but people like it.

Minnie & Friends character meal is also a breakfast buffet only. For all other meals, they serve "buffeteria style," but not buffet.

The new Mickey character meal at the PPH is all-buffet, from what we have been told, but it is breakfast only.

So for a dinner buffet, your only choices would be Goofy's Kitchen or Storytellers's smaller, non-character buffet.

 

[stampinshauna]

If you don't mind a non-character meal, I'd say try Storyteller's Cafe at the Grand Californian. They have great food, much better quality than Goofy's Kitchen. Their price for the buffet is reasonable too. We've eaten there 3 or 4 times and have enjoyed it.

 

[clb79]

Thanks Sherry!!!

It seemed complicated from what I had gathered reading other posts... We will be there in in Mid January over MLK weekend. Do you think they will have the Dinner buffet @ Storyteller's then? We are staying at the GCH so it would be convenient to eat there even though the others aren't that far away.

The Character part isn't a big deal since we won't have the kids with us, its actually an Anniversary trip. I guess I am looking for quality for a nice meal (we aren't the Napa Rose type, lol) characters or not

So I guess where I am at now is Storyteller's for breakfast if that is the meal time I decide on. Storytellers for dinner there if they are doing the buffet on the weekends in January. If not I will plan on lunch or dinner at Goofy's Kitchen.

 

[jacky b]

Storyteller's has the buffet all day, it is only a character meal for breakfast. We did the dinner buffet on Christmas Day in 07 and it was fantastic.

 

[Sherry E]

Thanks Sherry!!!

It seemed complicated from what I had gathered reading other posts... We will be there in in Mid January over MLK weekend. Do you think they will have the Dinner buffet @ Storyteller's then? We are staying at the GCH so it would be convenient to eat there even though the others aren't that far away.

The Character part isn't a big deal since we won't have the kids with us, its actually an Anniversary trip. I guess I am looking for quality for a nice meal (we aren't the Napa Rose type, lol) characters or not

So I guess where I am at now is Storyteller's for breakfast if that is the meal time I decide on. Storytellers for dinner there if they are doing the buffet on the weekends in January. If not I will plan on lunch or dinner at Goofy's Kitchen.

Jacky B -Storytellers does not have an all-day buffet. It is the character breakfast with the buffet option in the morning and the dinner buffet option (or off the menu) with no characters at night. There is no lunch buffet that I have ever seen when we ate lunch there, but you can order from the menu. In fact, the dinner buffet is not year-round, nor is it always every day of the week. They do it during busy times of year (like now) and often on weekends, but there have been other times when DIS-ers were there and had no buffet option at all. It is a seasonal and weekend-type of thing.

Clb79 - You are welcome! You know, the buffet may very well be happening that MLK weekend because it is a holiday weekend, so more visitors will come to the parks. I have heard of DIS-ers going to Storytellers in late January or at times in February and there was no buffet at night. So you can check with Disneyland Dining right before your trip and see if they know if the buffet will be there for dinner, and, if not, you will have the vast, bountiful Goofy's Kitchen buffet as a back-up for dinner (but with characters too)!

 

[jacky b]

Sorry! I stand corrected. I forgot they don't do the lunch buffet. I have been various times of the year and I have always seen the dinner buffet. Maybe we have been there when they consider it busy times.

 

[stampinshauna]

You could call and find out about the dinner buffet for MLK weekend. I'd think they have it. We've had it on a weekend last February. I'm hoping they have it the week before MLK because that is when we will be there next.

DH and I both love the Storyteller's dinner buffet. It isn't a real quiet restaurant, but it is nice and has good food. It is our favorite.